Investigates the patterns of intertextual linking as learners engaged in problem solving when using hypermedia. Learners were observed in their synthesized discourse in six cases using Perseus, a Greek culture database. Discusses themes that emerged from learners' on-line protocols and interactions and implications for instructional designers.…

Investigated how regular group discussion promotes reflective thinking. The study focused on three experienced English-as-a-Foreign-Language learners in South Korea who came together in weekly meetings to reflect on their work. Implications for the use of teacher-development groups as a means to promote critical reflection are discussed.…

Describes three therapeutic group activities used with adolescents, adults, or families in adventure- and experiential-education settings. Includes target group, group size, time and space requirements, activity level, props needed, instructions, and ideas for post-activity group processing and reflection. Activities involve moving beyond…

Presents a humorous treatment of the "sessio taurino" (or humanistic inquiry) technique for describing changes in technological models. The fundamental tool of "sessio taurino" is a loosely-structured event known as the session, which is of indeterminate length, involves a flexible number of participants, and utilizes a…

Reports results from an experiment in which interaction processes and learning outcomes of dyads working on different cooperative tasks within the domain of electricity were compared; a concept mapping task was compared with a poster task. Subjects were 40 students ages 16-17 years old. Students working on a concept map talked more intensively…

Presents activities to help adolescent and young-adult students become aware of the different types and possible benefits of social support and help them develop skills for obtaining social support. The process involves introducing them to different types of social support, discussing social support, creating social support webs, and having…

Describes a first-year college composition course and the daily preparatory writing assignments, "inquiry response papers," that form its core. Describes how these assignments, in which students respond to their homework reading, have led to a collaborative, dialogic classroom where students realize and express their own voices, and have fostered…

Explains why high-level verbal interaction is the key to learning in collaborative groups. Discusses influences on high-level verbal interaction in collaborative groups, including prior achievement, friendships, and status and expectations. Notes ways that teachers can train students in high-level verbal interactions. (SR)

'Structured Controversy' (SC) is a cooperative learning activity where students, working in small groups, argue one side of an issue and then another side of the same issue in two Rounds. Discussion includes: organizing the activity; evaluation; and positive results. Students reported a high degree of satisfaction with the SC activity and were…

Recounts a teacher's experience at the week-long IFTE (International Federation of Teachers of English) conference at New York University, which attempted to help educators respond to conservative criticism of educational pedagogical approaches and trends. Describes a small group experience. (TB)

Posttraumatic stress is an occupational hazard for certain high-risk groups such as personnel in emergency services, public safety, and disaster response. Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) represents a structured group intervention designed for the mitigation of posttraumatic stress. Provides an introduction to and an overview of the CISD…

Presents the results of a study of two fifth-grade reading groups, one comprised of all girls and the other of mixed gender. Discusses results in a reflective essay format, suggesting that the group of girls was more emotional in their observations and the mixed group was more action and plot oriented. (TB)

Provides a number of reading and discussion exercises on issue-oriented questions (such as "overpopulation") that may be used for just about any level of English-as-a-Second-Language instruction. Suggests a role-play exercise in imitation of the television show "Dating Game." (TB)

The Merit Workshop Calculus Program, based on Treisman-style workshop calculus, was intended to address the problems of low success rates of students from underrepresented populations and the failure to retain these students in mathematics- and science-based majors. Concludes that the program had a positive impact for both genders and several…

Describes how multipoint desktop video conferencing (MDVC) is used in preservice teacher education programs in Singapore to enhance the professional development of student teachers by allowing them to share ideas, experiences, and teaching resources in real time with an audience wider than the schools in which they teach. Summative evaluations…